How to setup IMAP email account in Microsoft Outlook

Full Step‑by‑Step Guide (Outlook Desktop – Windows)

Open Outlook Account Settings

• Open Outlook
• Go to File (top-left)
• Click Add Account

Choose Manual Setup

• Enter your email address
• Tick Advanced options
• Select Let me set up my account manually
• Click Connect

Select IMAP

• Choose IMAP from the list of account types

Enter IMAP Server Settings

You’ll need the IMAP details from your email provider (Hostcarts, cPanel, Google Workspace, etc.). Typical IMAP settings look like this:

Incoming Mail (IMAP)

• Server: mail.yourdomain.com
• Port: 993
• Encryption: SSL/TLS
• Username: full email address
• Password: your email password

Outgoing Mail (SMTP)

• Server: mail.yourdomain.com
• Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
• Encryption: SSL/TLS
• Authentication: Required
• Username: full email address
• Password: your email password

Finish Setup

• Click Next
• Outlook will verify the settings
• If successful, click Done

Optional: Verify Advanced Settings

If something fails:

• Go to File → Account Settings → Account Settings
• Select your email → Change
• Click More Settings
• Under Outgoing Server, enable:
• ✔ “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication”
• Under Advanced, confirm:
• IMAP port 993 with SSL
• SMTP port 465/587 with SSL/TLS